


When Heroes Fall

by Marviscatstone



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 07:00:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20689412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marviscatstone/pseuds/Marviscatstone
Summary: Link is depressed and suicidal. Dark tries to help him and discovers just how hard it is to be the hero. Also, Zelda's a bitch.





	When Heroes Fall

He almost wished she'd sent him back.

He almost wished he could go back to being a kid, go back and pretend that none of this had happened. But he knew that if he went back, nothing would change.

He stood outside the Room of Illusions, wondering if _he _would be back without Ganondorf to create him. Wondering if he was really doing this to challenge himself.

He knew the answer.

The moment Zelda lied to him, the moment she pretended that Sheik had never been real, he lost his faith in the princess. He refrained from telling her about his adventure in Termina, the day the moon fell.

He didn't trust her anymore.

And maybe that was why he was here. Because a hero didn't knew what to do in times of peace. Because the Hero of Time was no longer needed.

He pushed open the door and walked in.

The room was bright, the dead tree in center mocking him. But he couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope as he watched the water reflect everything but him.

He turned.

There he was, grey skin and red eyes. Teasing him. Taunting him.

Why not?

Link drew his sword, smiling faintly as his shadow drew his own. It was the first real smile in two years.

His shadow lunged with a cry and Link parried it quickly. He'd forgotten how fast he was. All it would take was one slip up and he would be bleeding out on the floor. It wouldn't be hard.

But for now he would enjoy the battle for as long as it lasted.

His shadow hammered at him, tossed his attempts to attack aside. They moved back and forth across the floor, steel ringing on steel. With every strike Link blocked, his shadow seemed to grow more a more frustrated.

"Damn you!" His shadow snarled. "Why won't you give up?"

Link supposed it was time.

He let the shadow's sword slip past his guard, felt the cold steel cut into his ribcage. He fell to the ground as warm blood, red as Sheik's eyes, poured out into the water. He expected the shadow to finish him.

"No!"

There was a clang as his shadow flung his sword across the room, hurrying to Link's side. "No, no, no, _please _no!"

Link couldn't understand it. His shadow crying for him?

"You're an idiot," the shadow growled, carefully picking him up. "Don't you dare die on me."

Link didn't protest as the shadow carried him out of the Temple, but he fought when the shadow tried to give him a potion.

"No," Link said, pushing him away.

The shadow huffed. "You either drink this or you die."

"Good," Link replied.

Something like pain flickered across the shadow's features. "Stay here," he said and melted into the ground.


End file.
